ReadWrite - start buttonhttp://readwrite.com/tag/start-button
enCopyright 2015 Wearable World Inc.http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rssTue, 03 Mar 2015 16:11:31 -0800Four Things You Need To Know About Windows 10<!-- tml-version="2" --><p>Microsoft has finally shown the world its plans for its next major Windows release, the one that will succeed the much-maligned Windows 8. It's not Windows 9 or Windows Threshold—not even Windows One, as Microsoft executive VP of operating systems Terry Myerson briefly teased at one point during a presentation in San Francisco.</p><p>Meet Windows 10.&nbsp;Why is Microsoft skipping Windows 9? Your guess is as good as mine. More on that below.</p><h2>The Big 10</h2><p>The new operating system, which Microsoft is targeting for release by mid-2015, aims to correct many of the most criticized features of the Windows 8 desktop mode—the one most business users are familiar with. The colorful touch-oriented interface, which Microsoft calls the Modern UI, still exists, but didn't get much attention today. Microsoft promises more events at which it will talk about other Windows 10 features.</p><blockquote><p><strong>See also:&nbsp;<a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/10/01/windows-10-microsoft-charm-offensive">Meet Microsoft's Unexpectedly Smart Windows 10 Charm Offensive</a></strong></p></blockquote><p>In general, one of Microsoft's big goals is to make it easy for users to move to Windows 10. That was a big problem for Windows 8, whose new and unfamiliar interface threw a lot of users.</p><p>"Windows 10 will be familiar to end users, whether they're coming from Windows 7 or Windows 8," Myerson said.</p><p>Here are four big takeaways from today's event.</p><h3>The Start Menu Returns</h3><p>In probably the biggest change from Windows 8, Windows 10 will bring back the Start Menu. That feature, a popup panel that gave access to installed programs and common features like the control panel, went missing in action in Windows 8. As long rumored, the new Start Menu will incorporate Modern-like tiles (see the above picture), some of which will display real-time information a la the current Modern interface.</p><p>Microsoft says the Start menu will be fully customizable. Users can change its shape and size, swap programs and other elements in and out, search for apps and even type in commands for which the operating system will then offer autocomplete options.</p><h3>Desktops Go Virtual</h3><div tml-image="ci01bbdccd10019512" tml-image-caption="Microsoft operating-system VP Joe Belfiore introduces virtual desktops"><figure><img src="http://a5.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTI0OTM2MTg2NjM1NTQ2NTk0.jpg" /><figcaption>Microsoft operating-system VP Joe Belfiore introduces virtual desktops</figcaption></figure></div><p>Windows 10 will also feature "virtual desktops," which are collections of apps that users can rearrange for better multitasking. It's a reasonably easy concept to learn by messing around, although it's more difficult to describe.</p><p>In the photo above, Microsoft operating-system VP Joe Belfiore is pointing to four separate "desktops"—those little icons at the bottom of the screen. Each one features a distinct arrangement of different program windows, making it possible to group, say, various social-media apps in one, open files related to a particular project in another. Users will create, delete and switch between these desktops using a "task switcher" button next to the Start button.</p><h3>Touch For Tablets, Keyboards For Desktops</h3><p>Finally, Windows 10 is designed to switch between the desktop and the Modern touch interface depending on whether it detects an attached keyboard. This feature is apparently still under development, as Microsoft operating-system VP Joe Belfiore&nbsp;had to rely on a video&nbsp;instead of an actual product demo. He had previously warned that Windows 10 code is still early in development: "There will be rough spots, and things may go wrong," he said.</p><h3>No One Can Explain The Name "Windows 10"</h3><p>So, why name the new OS Windows 10? Myerson stumbled a bit as he tried to explain it during a Q&amp;A with reporters:</p><blockquote><p>Really, y'know, this is a, this product, when you see the product in its fullness, it's a more appropriate name for the breadth of the product family that's coming.... We have tested it with many people, and it was a name that resonated best for what we'll deliver.</p></blockquote><p>ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley <a href="http://It's going to be the last major version of Windows and Microsoft wanted to signify it will be a big and cross-platform release.">offered this translation</a>: "It's going to be the last major version of Windows and Microsoft wanted to signify it will be a big and cross-platform release." In other words, 10 was a nice big round number, so why not skip the inferior "9" and move on?</p><blockquote><p><strong>See also:&nbsp;<a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/10/01/oracle-microsoft-learn-cloud">What Oracle Could Learn From Microsoft About The Cloud</a></strong></p></blockquote><p>That bit about the "last major version" of Windows, by the way, refers to the rumor that Microsoft is moving away from big "tentpole" releases toward a steady flow of smaller updates that have the effect of updating the OS in a more continuous fashion. Near as I can tell, Microsoft hasn't officially announced this plan yet, which might explain why Myerson was having trouble explaining the name.</p><p>Microsoft plans to release a technical preview build of Windows 10 to the public on Wednesday. You can start trying to download it at 9am PT at <a href="http://preview.windows.com">this link</a>. I'll be grabbing it as soon as I can get through and will let you know more once I get my hands on it.</p><p><em>Photos by David Hamilton for ReadWrite</em></p>A fifth: It undoes some big Windows 8 mistakes.http://readwrite.com/2014/09/30/windows10-microsoft-new-features
http://readwrite.com/2014/09/30/windows10-microsoft-new-featuresWebTue, 30 Sep 2014 12:10:34 -0700David HamiltonMicrosoft Will Show Us What's Replacing Windows 8 On September 30<!-- tml-version="2" --><div tml-image="ci01baa3594001ee2a" tml-image-caption=""><figure><img src="http://a5.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTIzMDQ5NjY1MTczMzU4MDky.jpg" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>The word is official: Microsoft will host an event in San Francisco on September 30 with news on "what's next for Windows"—a presentation all but certain to involve a good look at the long-awaited replacement for Windows 8, currently codenamed "Threshold."</p><p>Microsoft likewise appears likely to <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-invites-media-to-meet-the-next-version-of-windows-7000033210/">release a beta version of the operating system</a> either at the event or shortly thereafter. That "technical preview" of Threshold will let developers and big organizations start planning for the major changes in the operating system. It's not yet clear whether the technical preview will be available to the general public or only to registered developers.</p><blockquote><p><strong>See also: <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/08/18/windows-threshold-microsoft-preview-windows8-changes">A Replacement For Windows 8 May Be Nearing The "Threshold"</a></strong></p></blockquote><p>The event appears to be aimed primarily at large "enterprise" organizations; Microsoft's invitation card reads, "Join us to hear about what's next for Windows and the enterprise." That focus, however, may have more to do with the fact that the Windows PC is, once again, primarily a business tool now that tablets and phones have largely obviated the need to boot up a PC to play games or keep up with email and social networks at home.</p><h2>Desktop, Desktop, Desktop</h2><p>What that means is that Microsoft will most likely focus on changes to the traditional Windows "desktop" mode in Threshold. Windows 8, for instance, relegated the desktop to an afterthought in favor of the touch-enabled "Metro" mode, characterized by tiles in bright primary colors. The move alienated many Windows users, who have only been somewhat mollified by Microsoft's incremental efforts to restore features to the Windows 8 desktop.</p><p>The Threshold desktop will likely return in a front-and-center role for PC users. Like the latest version of Windows 8, Threshold will default to different modes depending on the device—for instance, booting to Metro mode on a tablet and to the desktop on a laptop or desktop.</p><p>Leaked <a href="http://winfuture.de/news,83577.html">screenshots</a> and <a href="http://winfuture.de/videos/Software/Windows-9-Das-neue-Startmenue-in-Aktion-12906.html">videos</a> suggest that the Threshold desktop will revive the Start menu, which Windows 8 dispensed with entirely, albeit in a colorful design that incorporates Metro-like tiles. The new Windows will also apparently let users create multiple desktops—say, to group programs and files needed for specific tasks—and will feature a notification center similar to those in smartphones, tablets and Mac OS X.</p><p>It'll also apparently be possible to run tablet-style Metro apps in windows on the desktop; in Windows 8, those apps insist on taking over the entire screen. There's also a possibility that Microsoft's personal assistant Cortana will make an appearance.</p><blockquote><p><strong>See also: <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/04/16/microsoft-cortana-siri-google-now">How Microsoft's Cortana Stacks Up Against Siri And Google Now</a></strong></p></blockquote><p>We'll have full coverage on September 30; join us then to see which features make the cut in Threshold and how soon you'll be able to get your hands on it.</p><p><em>Lead photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mustangjoe/10810507726">Joe deSousa</a></em></p>Here comes the post-Windows 8 future.http://readwrite.com/2014/09/16/windows-threshold-microsoft-developer-preview-windows9-windows8
http://readwrite.com/2014/09/16/windows-threshold-microsoft-developer-preview-windows9-windows8WebTue, 16 Sep 2014 05:00:00 -0700David HamiltonMicrosoft Is Backing Down From One Of Windows 8's Boldest Changes<!-- tml-version="2" --><div tml-image="ci01b2828650018266" tml-render-position="center" tml-render-size="large"><figure><img src="http://a4.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTIyMzAzNjUyMTk4MTg3NjIy.png" /></figure></div><p>The Start button is back.</p><p>According to reports by Microsoft experts <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/heres-how-the-new-windows-blue-start-button-may-work-7000016042/">Mary Jo Foley</a> and <a href="http://winsupersite.com/windows-8/blue-start-experience-changes">Paul Thurrott</a>, a forthcoming update to Windows 8 codenamed "Blue" will restore the familiar interface for navigating Windows.</p><p>A feature of Microsoft operating systems since Windows 95, the Start button allowed quick access to applications and system features. Windows 8, in a marked departure, traded it for a tablet-like, touchscreen-optimized system for navigating apps. That, understandably, confused and frustrated Windows users, many of whom found Windows 8 befuddling rather than innovative.</p><h2>Microsoft Shows A Less-Than-Deft Touch</h2><p>Microsoft has had a consistent party line on these complaints, which is to urge people to try Windows 8 on new touchscreen PCs and tablets.</p><p><strong>(See also <a href="http://readwrite.com/2013/03/25/windows-blue-tips-the-balance-more-towards-metro">Windows Blue's Goal: You Will Love Metro - Eventually</a>.)</strong></p><p>One of Microsoft's strengths has alway been its embrace of backwards compatibility—the ongoing guarantee that newer PCs will run older software. The <a href="http://readwrite.com/2012/10/24/microsoft-surface-rt-reviews-are-in-and-theyre-mostly-mediocr">Surface RT tablet</a>, which cannot run older Windows software, and the <a href="http://readwrite.com/2013/05/21/xbox-one-microsoft-event-launch">new Xbox One</a>, which likewise will not play old games, suggest that Microsoft has become more willing to abandon the old, as it did with the Start button.</p><p>Here's the mistake Microsoft made: While it's trivially easy to update software, and new hardware can be sold, it's far harder to rewire the wetware in our brains. And hundreds of millions of Windows users over the past two decades have been trained to look for a Start button.</p><p><strong>(See also&nbsp;<a href="http://readwrite.com/2012/06/11/how-windows-8-throws-computer-users-under-the-bus">How Windows 8 Throws Computer Users Under The Bus</a>.)</strong></p><p>And a basic interface feature like that is not analogous to a game or even a piece of software. Video gamers rapidly grow bored of old games and seek out new ones. But the way we use PCs becomes a matter of routine. And there's nothing more annoying than breaking people's routines.</p><p>No wonder <a href="http://readwrite.com/2013/05/28/tablets-killing-desktops-faster-than-ever">PC sales are falling</a>.</p><p><em>Screenshot of Windows 8.1 <a href="http://winsupersite.com/windows-8/blue-start-experience-changes">via Paul Thurrott's Windows Supersite</a>.</em></p>The Windows Start button is coming back.http://readwrite.com/2013/05/29/microsoft-windows-8-start-button
http://readwrite.com/2013/05/29/microsoft-windows-8-start-buttonWorkWed, 29 May 2013 12:24:53 -0700Owen Thomas